• What are they made of?

A brick is a block of ceramicmaterial. Bricks for building may be made from clay, shale, soft slate, calcium silicate, concrete, or shaped from quarried stone. However, true bricks are ceramic, and therefore created by the action of heat and cooling.

  • What are they used for?

Bricks are used for building, block paving and pavement. They are used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.

  • How many types of brick are there?

Mud bricks,rail kilns,Bull's Trench Kilns, dry pressed brick, extruded bricks, and calcium silicate bricks

  • What is the meaning of brick laying techniques?

They are the different methods used by the persons in order to lay bricks to construct brickwork such as walls.

  • Describe 2 brick laying techniques

Structural bond refers to how the individual masonry units interlock or tie together into a single structural unit. You can achieve structural bonding of brick and tile walls in one of the following three ways: Overlapping (interlocking) the masonry units, embedding metal ties in connecting joints or using grout to adhere adjacent wythes of masonry. Mortar bond refers to the adhesion of the joint mortar to the masonry units or to the reinforcing steel.

The running bond is the simplest of the six patterns, consisting of all stretchers. Because the bond has no headers, metal ties usually form the structural bond. The running bond is used largely in cavity wall construction, brick veneer walls, and facing tile walls made with extra wide stretcher tile.

  • What are their advantages and disadvantages?

Masonry is a composite material consisting of masonry units and mortar joints. This not only accounts for its inherent appeal, but can also be its inherent weakness. The achievement of an effective bond between the brick and mortar is the most important aspect of masonry construction, and this bond is reliant on the workmanship and mortar ingredients. Mortar is also relatively weak compared to bricks so the removal of the traditional 10mm joint, not only increases the speed of construction, it also drastically improves the strength of the masonry.



Find out the meaning of the expressions below, and write your explanation on your wiki.
• Brick upon brick

• Brick & mortar: when two things can't be separated from each other.

• Be /come up against a brick wall: to not be able to continue an activity or do something you want to do.

• Come down on somebody like a ton of bricks: to punish someone very quickly and severely

• Drop a brick: To make a clumsy social error.


PIAZZA DEL CAMPO INTERVIEW
Adriana: Hi Mayela, How have you been?

Mayela: Great Miss Adriana, thanks. Let me introduce you to my colleague Arantxa. She’s an architect from Belgium.

Arantxa: Good morning. Nice to meet you Adriana.

Adriana: Nice to meet you too Miss Arantxa. Today we’re going to discuss about piazza Del Campo. Have you ever been there?

Arantxa: Yes. I’ve been there twice. Piazza Del campo is one of World's greatest public squares. Piazza Del campo is a well-known public space in the world, is the heart of Siena.

Adriana: And what do you think about its architecture Mayela?

Mayela: It is a beautiful and amazing place thanks to its architecture. Piazza Del campo is Siena's town square. It has a shell shape and it is surrounded by many buildings that are part of the architectural treasure

Adriana: Oh! One of the most important things of Piazza del Campo is the use of the brick in its construction. Brick is used as the main building element which gives an irregularity to buildings, verticality and a variety of styles, nevertheless the use of brick gives the place a constructive harmony, due to the characteristic red color of the brick. Also bricks are used in the piazza floor, giving continuity to the buildings located nearby.

Arantxa: Well, I didn’t know that. It’s a very interesting fact.

Mayela: This was a great interview. Now I’m really looking forward to visit Siena and Piazza Del Campo.

Adriana: Ok girls. This was great. I`ll let you know when the article is getting published. Take care.

Arantxa: Thank you very much.

Mayela: Thanks! Good bye.